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So there’s been this absurd battle of the minds taking place on whether or not SMX Advanced 2008 was too blackhat. Everyone else weighed in, and no one (besides my Mom) reads my blog anyways… my opinion on that topic is not worth being discussed.
I will simply say this… I attended SMX Advanced in Seattle. I learned a lot of interesting ideas, concepts, techniques and opinions. I also dismissed things I heard as being simply foolish. They weren’t blackhat ideas… They weren’t white hat ideas…
They were just shitty ideas.
I don’t really understand why our industry obsesses over the perception of ethics or tactics that different search marketers use.
Perhaps I’m too simple minded to understand the argument? I’ve been labeled as such before, so I wouldn’t be shocked if that’s the case.
Michael Gray recently made reference someplace (Twitter?) to the fact that it’s not about the white hat /black hat debate and that the situations simply involve risk.
Amen, brother.
I love Lisa Barone and her writing over on the Bruce Clay Blog. She’s always able to bring an opinion and personality to what she writes which is why she’s as successful as she is. That’s why people read what she writes.
Her post “SMX Advanced Goes To The Dark Side” apparently pissed people off. When I first read it, I didn’t think twice. It was a normal entry on the blog from Lisa. It had solid coverage and introduced her opinion of some materials presented. Big deal, right? Was it because the title-bait encouraged people to read? Was it the Danny evangelists out there that felt he or SMX were slighted?
Really though, I’m not sure what exactly pissed everyone off, but I’m not looking to discuss that. Please don’t comment referring to that situation. This is how it’s played out… We don’t need any more of it.
Here’s the thing… The whole Blackhat stigma is sexy to some.
I’ve heard people say that they’re blackhats to impress people. I also know that they couldn’t optimize a site for a five phrased search term to save their lives. Still, in an industry where the vanilla mantra of “work on providing good, quality content” is repeated thousands of times daily, it’s their way of standing out.
Likewise, I think people get off on the claim that they practice white hat techniques.
These crusaders of SEO run around reporting sites for violations, offensive materials and questionable practices all day long. I’m glad that the industry is self-policing to a degree, but these people bore me to death.
Our industry involves risks. All day, every day.
The management of risks and the way you coordinate a search marketing plan dictates whether or not you’ll be successful.
You know what has zero impact? What you think the color of your hat is.
If you continually employ shady tactics that you know or suspect to be banned, penalized or reported… You’re either an idiot, flirting with disaster, or simply enjoying the risk for the quick reward.
Might you get away with it? Sure! Will it last forever? Probably not. But that’s the risk you take when you implement the work – and if you get that and are okay with it, right on.
And, if you always play by the safest techniques and never try to push the envelope at all – you will likely struggle a bit to gain an edge.
That’s the point though, right?
Let’s just stop talking about hats. There aren’t any. It’s risk management. If you drove 100MPH all the time, you’d probably have a blast, until you veered off the road and got killed. And, if you lived in a bombshelter and never went outside, you’d be safe and sound forever… And incredibly boring.
Go shave your head and learn to appreciate the air up there. We don’t wear proverbial hats in this space. Okay?
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I like this rant Eric. Well said.